Excessive Snoring
A study from UK’s National Health Services in 2008 found that heavy snorers were six times more likely to suffer from a heart attack while sleeping than those who didn’t snore at all. Furthermore, the research hypothesized that heart disease risk increased with higher blood pressure and the nerve and hormonal changes caused by snoring. Now, we know that even those with obstructive sleep apnea are at a higher risk of heart attack.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is usually connected to obesity, but not even person who has sleep apnea is overweight or obese. With OSA, the upper airway closes off because the muscles that keep it open tend to lose tone. Each time the airway gets shut off, breathing pauses. The pauses can happen between 5-30 times an hour, preventing restful sleep. No wonder sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, arrhythmia, and heart failure.
